LONDON, 21 May 2025 – Saudi Arabia and the UAE remain as dominant players in the region’s brand rankings, according to the latest Middle East 150 2025 report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Saudi Arabia leads with a combined brand value of USD112.4 billion, followed by the UAE at USD86.0 billion.
Both nations continue to drive regional growth through economic diversification and innovative strategies. In Saudi Arabia, key sectors such as oil & gas, banking, and telecoms remain dominant, while the UAE is accelerating progress through investments in green energy, digital transformation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Together, the two countries account for 81% of the region’s total brand value, reinforcing their central role in shaping the Middle East’s brand and economic landscape.
Aramco (brand value at USD41.7 billion) retains its position as the most valuable brand in the Middle East for the sixth consecutive year. Aramco continues to have a strong brand (AAA- rating) which has helped its brand value remain stable in the face of declining oil prices driven by a global supply surplus, ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, and shifting energy market dynamics.
ADNOC (brand value up 25% to USD19.0 billion) has also retained its position as the region’s second most valuable brand for the sixth consecutive year, representing over 300% growth since 2017. This performance reflects ADNOC’s bold strategic transformation, driven by initiatives such as the launch of XRG, major international energy investments, and its pioneering role in the adoption of AI.
stc (brand value up 16% to USD16.1 billion) holds its position as the third most valuable brand in the region in 2025. This achievement reflects the successful consolidation of their masterbrand strategy, which has enabled stc to extend its reach into new categories such as banking, cybersecurity, and B2B and IT services through strategic mergers and acquisitions. This year, stcalsoachieves the milestone of becoming the strongest brand in the region. With a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 88.7/100 and an AAA brand strength rating, stc has also secured a spot among the top three strongest telecoms brands globally.
The e& brand has a value of USD15.3 billion, more than eight times (+701%) its value in 2024, making it the fastest-growing brand in the Middle East and globally. This growth follows the consolidation of “etisalat” and e& brand under a unified identity which has solidified e& as a cohesive and globally recognisable entity, and among the top four most valuable brands in the Middle East.
Al Rajhi Bank follows closely with a BSI score of 87.9/100 and a AAA rating, maintaining its position as the region’s strongest banking brand. The bank’s growth is underpinned by exceptionally strong perceptions amongst retail and commercial banking prospects and customers in Saudi Arabia.
QNB ranks third with a BSI score of 87.0/100 and a AAA rating, alongside an 11% uplift in brand value to USD9.4 billion, reflecting its continued strength in the Qatari and wider regional markets.
Andrew Campbell, Managing Director, Brand Finance Middle East commented:
“As the Middle East continues to evolve economically and brand-wise, the region’s leading brands are positioning themselves for long-term growth. The push towards digital transformation, sustainability, and economic diversification will further solidify the region's position as a global leader in innovation and development."
ROSHN GROUP is a new entrant in the Middle East 150 ranking and is now the third most valuable real estate brand in the region with a brand value of USD1.1 billion. This means it has also secured a place among the top 40 most valuable Middle Eastern brands overall.This is an impressive result for a brand that is less than five years old and highlights the company’s ambitious growth strategy. ROSHN GROUP unveiled a new strategic expansion driven by a rebranding in November 2024 to signal its expansion from its core residential offering to a multi-asset real estate group.
Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) (brand value up 10% to USD1.7 billion) remains as the region’s most valuable healthcare brand, driven by its groundbreaking medical achievements. The hospital became the first in the world to perform fully robotic liver and heart transplants, as well as the robotic implantation of an artificial heart pump.
PureHealth Group (brand value up 30% to USD564 million) stands strong as the region’s largest integrated healthcare platform. This growth was propelled by strategic acquisitions, notably the integration of Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), the UAE's largest healthcare complex, and the UK's Circle Health Group, the largest private hospital group in the country.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
